Maxwell puts off surgery to pursue World Cup dream

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Glenn Maxwell has considered another round of surgery to remove the pins used to hold his shattered ankle together, but will hold off booking the procedure to pursue his dual World Cup dreams amid a tightening selection battle.

A freak accident in November last year saw Maxwell’s lower leg and ankle badly fractured after a friend jokingly chased him and landed on his leg at the friend’s 50th birthday party, the night before the Twenty20 World Cup final in Melbourne.

Glenn Maxwell.Credit: Getty

Pins were used in the surgery to help the fracture heal as rapidly as possible, and now his leg is fully healed, Maxwell has the option of removing them at a later date.

However that surgery and recovery period would take about six weeks, time that 34-year-old Maxwell can ill afford to lose in a season that is bookended by an ODI World Cup in India and a T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and United States.

Maxwell is a seasoned white-ball player, and was a part of Australia’s World Cup-winning teams as both an ODI player (2015) and in T20 (2021).

After Marnus Labuschagne, David Warner, Travis Head and Josh Inglis all tucked into South Africa’s bowling in Bloemfontein overnight, the selection squeeze for the World Cup squad is as tight as ever.

After trying his hardest to get back to fitness in time to be considered for the Test tour of India in February and March, Maxwell has endured some recurring discomfort in his ankle, the latest episode of which ruled him out of the current white ball tour of South Africa. He has resumed training after having a cortisone injection.

Cricket Australia medical staff insist these issues are not related to the presence of the pins, but acknowledge that Maxwell has the option of getting them removed at an appropriate time in the calendar.

“Glenn experienced a short-term flare of impingement-related pain in his left ankle, which is not uncommon in the rehabilitation journey after significant ankle fracture,” a CA spokesperson said.

“He has returned to training this week and is preparing to be available for a role in the one-day series in India.”

Marnus Labuschagne (left) and David Warner celebrate their respective centuries against South Africa in Bloemfontein in the second ODI match.Credit: Getty

Speaking at the BBL draft, Maxwell acknowledged he and medical staff may need to be a “bit smarter” about how he handles his ankle in the coming weeks.

Australia’s Cup plans were bolstered overnight by a powerful display from Warner and Head at the top of the order, underlining how the pair are set to attack the new ball in slow conditions in India, knowing that batting may get more difficult later in the innings as the ball wears.

“[These were] probably similar conditions to what we might get in India for the World Cup,” Warner said of the pitch in Bloemfontein, where a stand of 109 in 11.5 overs set the platform for a tally of 392.

“We saw the lack of intent early with South Africa the game before, so we had to get on the front foot. We knew the wicket was going to be pretty slow and the ball was probably going to chew up a lot, so for us, our goal is to target the first 10 [overs], get off to a good start, and then from there try to build a partnership outside the powerplay.”

Warner went on to raise a stand of 151 with Labuschagne, who forged a fluent century a game after saving Australia with an unbeaten 83 as the concussion substitute for Cameron Green.

Labuschagne is making every possible effort to squeeze into the World Cup squad of 15 after missing the cut for the provisional group that will be finalised at the end of September. Labuschagne was targeted for some tough talk by the Proteas spinner Tabraiz Shamsi, but the fighting words served only to add to the Australian’s fierce focus.

“I actually had to ask Marnus what he’d done to him because I didn’t know what was going on. It was every ball,” Warner said. “Marnus is a quality player, but he’s probably the wrong bloke to go after because he doesn’t say anything back.

“The selectors have spoken to Marnus and it’s a like for like replacement for Smithy. We’ve got extreme firepower and a lot of allrounders as well, which is always handy in this format.”

Australia’s selectors appear unlikely to divert from their plan for an all-rounder-heavy squad, and are also committed to the inclusion of the gifted Inglis as a reserve wicketkeeper and middle order batter on tour.

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